Big Day in the Political World!

Orman accuses KNEA of “dirty tricks”

Yesterday we reported to you the results of polling conducted for KNEA by Public Polling that showed the Governor’s race in Kansas to be a dead heat between Democrat Laura Kelly and Republican Kris Kobach with independent candidate Greg Orman polling just enough to make his candidacy a spoiler candidacy.

The Orman campaign has gone on the attack against KNEA calling the report “dirty tricks.” Really? A reputable national polling firm conducts a poll and because you don’t like what it says, it’s “dirty tricks?” No, Mr. Orman, not dirty tricks. Just reporting what the public is saying.

Orman polls, by the way, are always conducted as “head to head match-ups.” He announced a poll earlier that showed him defeating Kobach in a head to head match. Unfortunately, the race is not a head to head between Orman and Kobach. It’s a five-candidate race. The KNEA poll measured support for all five candidates. So no “dirty tricks.” Just a dose of reality.

Republican Michael Capps was appointed just a few weeks ago to the seat in the Kansas House formerly held by Chuck Weber who resigned to take a job as a lobbyist for the Kansas Catholic Conference. Capps had already filed as a candidate for the seat and local Republicans quickly appointed him to the vacancy (the power of the incumbency?).

But it seems that Capps- when serving as a Court Appointed Special Advocate- was investigated by the Department of Children and Families for child abuse. According to the Hawver Capital Report, “The Department of Children and Families found that Capps had abused the children, but technical filing problems led to a reversal of the finding.”

House Speaker Ron Ryckman, R-Olathe, called on Capps to resign saying, “Holding public office requires public trust. The allegations in this matter are serious ones. I pray for everyone involved and hope this situation is resolved swiftly. In the meantime, for Mr. Capps to serve in the Kansas House would be entirely inappropriate. Public trust matters far more than political gain.”

Republican Party Chair Kelly Arnold also announced that the Party would not support Capps’ campaign and was suspending such efforts immediately.

So far Capps has refused to step down, arguing that he fought the charges and won.

Earlier in the election, Capps’ candidacy was challenged based on his residence. The house he was claiming as his residence in the district appeared to be deserted and had been foreclosed upon. Such challenges are heard by a panel made up of Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, and Lt. Governor Tracey Mann, all Republican partisans. They ruled in favor of Capps.

Capps is being challenged in the election by Democrat Monica Marks who, as we reported in an earlier post, is a KNEA PAC recommended candidate.

Arizona Court Tosses Ballot Measure to Help Schools

Click for National #RedForEd Day Facebook Page

Arizona Education Association Members Ask that All Educators Stand With Them

The Arizona State Supreme Court has taken the unprecedented step of removing the Invest In ED ballot measure from the November ballot. Invest In ED would have provided millions of Arizona students with a sustainable revenue source that would provide resources students need to learn. This measure would have provided crucial education funding that everyone in Arizona agrees is needed.

In order to qualify for the ballot, thousands of educators across the state worked tirelessly all summer to collect 270,000 signatures to qualify the Invest In ED act to be on the ballot. In a purely political move, the Arizona Supreme Court overturned the lower court decision. The Arizona Supreme Court is stacked with anti-public education justice appointees doing the bidding of Governor Doug Ducey who has failed to take action to increase needed education funding in Arizona for years.

In solidarity, AEA is requesting state affiliates and other national labor allies that Tuesday, September 4th be observed as a national #RedForEd day. This day of solidarity is in reaction to the unprecedented decision by the Arizona supreme court robbing Arizonans of the opportunity to vote for critical funding for our classrooms and investing in our educators. NEA and AEA are asking everyone to wear red and post pictures to social media with a simple “We stand in solidarity with Arizona educators” and #RedForEd and #InvestInEd hashtags.

KNEA urges all supporters of public education to stand in solidarity with educators in Arizona because our students and educators deserve better.

WEAR RED FOR ED on Tuesday, September 4. Show the teachers of Arizona that Kansans stand with them!

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Topeka – As we move into the final two months of campaigning ahead of the November general election, new polling indicates Senator Laura Kelly and Secretary of State Kris Kobach are in a “dead heat.” Senator Kelly was recently announced as the recommended candidate for governor by the Kansas NEA PAC which commissioned the poll conducted by Public Policy Polling.

The candidates for governor were tested twice in the poll, once where all candidates were only identified by name and party affiliations and again where respondents were read a positive platform message about Kelly, Kobach and Orman individually. The results of these two samples are indicated as follows:

“Two things should jump out at voters from this poll,” KNEA President Mark Farr said. “First, Greg Orman’s role in this election is that of a distant spoiler. Second, voter turnout by those who really care about public education in Kansas will determine who our next Governor is. In my mind, a vote for Greg Orman is a vote for Kris Kobach. If we take Kobach at his word, public schools will be starved of resources, the courts and constitution will be ignored and when public schools are shut down, our tax dollars will be gifted to private, for-profit schools.”

The poll also indicated while Kobach’s propensity to seek the media spotlight has earned him more recognition statewide than Kelly (87% to 60% respectively), a full 11% more voters who know Kobach view him unfavorably than favorably. Thirteen-percent (13%) more voters who know Orman view him unfavorably than favorably. By contrast, Laura Kelly enjoys a positive favorability rating. Of voters who know her, 14% more view her favorably than unfavorably.

“Laura Kelly and her running mate Lynn Rogers have proven themselves as advocates for students and for strong public schools time and again,” Farr said. “They have promised to work to restore respect for the educators who dedicate themselves to protect and to teach our students. When the election is over, we will either collapse backwards into a doubling-down on the policies Sam Brownback wrought on this state or we will continue to move forward with a champion of public education in Laura Kelly. This poll is a really a call to stand up, support our kids and our public schools and above all else, to vote.”

Public Policy Polling conducted this poll with results based upon responses from 877 likely Kansas general election voters. The telephone survey was completed between Friday, Aug. 24 and Sunday, Aug. 26.

“There’s a reason Senator Kelly has twice received KNEA’s highest acknowledgment of service to the mission of public education,” Mark Farr, KNEA president, said. “She and her running mate, Senator Lynn Rogers, have a legacy as advocates for Kansas students, our public schools and the dedicated professionals who ensure our kids are safe and have the opportunity to achieve their greatest potential.”

“I’m running for governor to make sure all Kansas students have the opportunity to succeed no matter where in Kansas they live,” Senator Kelly said. “In order to do that, we must work together to invest in our public schools and to restore respect and support for our teachers and staff. Kids have a natural curiosity and we need highly qualified teachers who have the time and resources needed to ensure that their curiosity is nurtured so that they can learn and achieve.”

Kansas NEA believes the Kelly/Rogers campaign represents a return to common sense Kansas values where public schools are a priority and where teachers are respected instead of marginalized. Senator Kelly values teachers and recognizes them as the strongest advocates for children outside of the home. In contrast to her opponents’ promises of returning to Brownback-style attacks on public schools, Senator Kelly’s platform includes a comprehensive vision to strengthen educational opportunities for Kansas students from pre-kindergarten through high school and beyond.

“I’m not new to the struggle educators and students have endured in recent years,” Senator Kelly continued. “I have fought against policies that put the interests of a select few ahead of the promise of opportunity for every Kansas student. Throughout my career, I have stood with our teachers and the professionals who are closest to our students in the classroom. As governor, I will make certain our schools, our teachers and our students will be a priority once again.”

Kansas NEA’s KPAC is comprised of KNEA members throughout the state who determine criteria for recommendations and interview candidates seeking KNEA’s recommendation in state races. The candidates who earn “recommended” status have demonstrated a commitment to strengthening public education in Kansas.

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Well, some things about yesterday’s Kansas primary election have been decided but others have not and likely will not be for some time yet.

What we know for certain is that Senator Laura Kelly is the Democratic candidate for Kansas Governor. Kelly secured a majority of votes (52%) in a crowded five-candidate contest. It didn’t take long last night to know that Kelly was in; Svaty and Brewer were out.

Over on the Republican side, however, things are a little different. As of noon today, Secretary of State Kris Kobach – Trump’s anointed candidate – was ahead of incumbent Governor Jeff Colyer by only 191 votes with several thousand provisional ballots still to be counted. This race will take some time to be determined as all counties finish reviewing their ballots. But Kelly will face off against either Kobach or Colyer in November.

In two other contested state-wide Republican primaries, Rep. Scott Schwab secured the nomination for Secretary of State with 38% of the vote in a five-candidate election while Sen. Vicki Schmidt managed to beat Clark Shultz in the Republican primary for Insurance Commissioner, 52% to 48%.

A couple of congressional primaries were wild. In the Democratic primary for CD 3 (currently held by Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder), Sharice Davids managed a win with 37% of the vote. She was followed by labor leader Brent Welder with 34%. Teacher Tom Niermann was a distant third with 14% of the vote. Davids will take on Yoder in the general election. While Yoder did win the Republican primary, a full 32% of Republican voters cast their votes for other candidates.

There was a crowded field in the Republican primary for CD 2 (being vacated by the retiring Republican Rep. Lynn Jenkins). With seven candidates in the race, Steve Watkins eked out a win with 26% of the vote. Watkins – an unknown a few months ago – managed to top state Senators Caryn Tyson, Dennis Pyle, and Steve Fitzgerald as well as state Representative Kevin Jones and former Speaker of the House in the Kansas Legislature, Doug Mays.

Watkins has been in the news for having met with the Democratic Party to consider a run for Congress as a Democrat before settling on being a conservative Republican. He has also been criticized for being a non-voter – he maintains that as a member of the armed services he needed to stay non-partisan and that included not voting! State Senator and retired Lt. Colonel Steve Fitzgerald had harsh words for Watkins on that issue!

Watkins will face former House Minority Leader Paul Davis who was unopposed in the Democratic primary.

Republican Congressman Roger Marshall secured 79% of the vote in his primary election while Republican Congressman Ron Estes topped his challenger, Ron Estes, 81% to 19%. Estes will now go into a rematch with Democrat James Thompson who won his primary with 65% of the vote.

Down ballot races were disappointing for moderate Republicans who woke up to find that they had lost Mary Martha Good (El Dorado), Anita Judd-Jenkins (Arkansas City), Patty Markley (Overland Park), Joy Koesten (Leawood), Don Schroeder (Hesston), and perhaps Steven Becker (Buhler) although Becker is behind by only one vote. Some moderates with primaries did prevail, however. Among them are Susan Concannon (Concordia), Tom Cox (Shawnee), Jim Karleskint (Tonganoxie), Jim Kelly (Independence), and Larry Hibbard (Toronto). Moderates also held two other seats. Susie Swanson’s (Clay Center) seat with go to Susie Carlson who defeated conservative Kathy Martin and Stephen Alford’s (Ulysses) seat will go to Marty Long who defeated conservative Jeff Locke.

And in great moderate Republican news, outspoken conservative incumbent John Whitmer was defeated in his primary by moderate Republican J.C. Moore.

The balance of power in the House is still to be determined pending the results of the November general election, but the moderate Republican caucus did suffer some serious losses in the primaries. What remains to be seen is how well Democrats do in both defending their incumbents and picking off some of the conservatives that came out ahead against moderate Republicans.

The challenges ahead of advocates for public education from now to November are many. We call upon all Kansans who value public schools for all of our children to get involved in the general election campaigns to protect and expand the Moderate/Democrat coalition. We’ve made many gains since 2016, but last night proved that there is a growing push to return to and even double-down on the Brownback disaster. For the sake of Kansas kids and for the future of our state, we must not let that happen!